Miss
by BattleHamster
Summary: An AU where Serg survives to become Emperor.
1. Chapter 1

_Archived on the memory ship of Simon Illyan as he stood outside a private meeting between Ezar Vorbarra and Aral Vorkosigan:_

ARAL: I won't do it, sir!

EZAR: Aral, you have no choice. What is the alternative—civil war as soon as I die?

ARAL: (Whispers something inaudible)

EZAR: There are things more important than honor, boy. No doubt you'll learn that one day.

ARAL: I won't actively work against your plans, sir, but you'll have to find someone else to be your puppet.

EZAR: (Laughter, which turns into coughing) My puppet? But you _are_ sworn to serve me.

ARAL: To serve you and Barrayar, sir. Not to participate in a plan that could—no, i_will_/i lead to the deaths of thousands of Barrayaran soldiers, just so that you can kill your son in the most politically convenient way!

* * *

_Excerpt from the script of _The Thin Blue Line, _a film based on the Barrayaran invasion of Escobar:_

Setting: Escobaran shuttle.

SOLDIER 1: We're doing it! We're driving those bastards off*!

SOLDIER 2: There's the Prince's flagship! Fire on it!

SOLDIER 1: (Disappointed) No, it's no good. The coward's retreating.

(Barrayaran ships are shown fleeing into the wormhole. See storyboards.)

VOICEOVER: And so, while Prince Serg and the Butcher of Komarr survived, the vicious Barrayaran invaders were driven off, at the cost of many brave lives.

* "Those bastards" may be changed to "them." What rating are we going for?

* * *

_Imperial Order signed by Emperor Serg Vorbarra three days after his ascension:_

By the order of His Imperial Majesty Serg Vorbarra, Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan is to be executed for the murder of Ges Vorrutyer.

* * *

_Letter smuggled from Aral Vorkosigan to Cordelia Vorkosigan:_

Dearest Cordelia,

I am no good at writing letters, I am terrified for you, and I don't have much time, so let me say this: when we married, dear Captain, I swore an oath to protect you. I failed such an oath once. I won't again.

I love you completely.

Aral

* * *

_Imperial Order signed by Emperor Serg Vorbarra six days after his ascension:_

By the order of His Imperial Majesty Serg Vorbarra, Aral Vorkosigan is to be arrested for planning and aiding in the escape of convicted murderer Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan. Anyone found helping either of the two will face charges of treason.

* * *

_Excerpt from the fastpenta interrogation of an Mik Tver, a hillman from the Dendarii Mountains:_

INTERROGATOR: Have you seen Aral Vorkosigan or his wife?

TVER: When I was going out to collect firewood, I saw a couple of people going through the woods—man, woman. On some good-looking horses. Beautiful, looked like maybe Arab cross—

INTERROGATOR: About the man and the woman…

TVER: Red hair—the woman I mean. It was almost dark, hard to see, couldn't tell for sure. The man was short, dark hair.

INTERROGATOR: Could you tell where they were going?

TVER: Couldn't say. There's a big entrance to the caves in the area—my likes to climb around in there. Liked, I mean. Do you know they're gonna do to my family?

INTERROGATOR: Stay on the subject. Is there anything else you know?

TVER: That's all I can think of…

* * *

_Letter carried by Kly the Mail from Aral Vorkosigan to Piotr Vorkosigan five months after Emperor Serg's ascension:_

Father,

We're in the caves. It's best that I not tell you where. I'm sure you understand. For now, Cordelia and I are both safe. We're looking for a place that she can stay—traveling has become too hard with her pregnancy.

On that note, I have my family worry about. I am not going to get involved in your pet civil war. I don't care what idiotic policies Serg has, I won't get dragged in.

Aral

* * *

_Journal entry by Cordelia Vorkosigan, 7 months after Emperor Serg's ascension:_

Little Piotr Miles had to say goodbye to his father today. He's far too young to understand about Aral leaving, of course. Even being an outlaw wasn't enough to keep Aral from being forced into damned Barrayaran politics. It was inevitable. He blames himself for not going along with the old Emperor's plan, and we've heard enough of the outside world that I can understand why. But who knows what would have happened then? He wouldn't be the same man he is today. Of course, if that meant he were here, I'm not sure that would be a bad thing.

Miles is fascinated by the goats here. I'm glad he can't crawl yet, or he'd be climbing all over them. I have gotten over the delightful quaintness of country living. Now I just want a heated shower. As wonderful as being outside, really truly outside is, I would gladly live under a dome if it meant having access to technology. Aral says that if—or when—open war breaks out we may be able to shelter in an ally's place or even Count Piotr's house by the lake.

God, how terrible of me. Thinking of war that way: something that we can benefit from. The blood of soldiers—practically boys—for my hot shower. No doubt Lady Bathory would approve. Lady Bathory would like Barrayar.

I'm rambling. It must be a coping mechanism to keep from thinking about Aral, just like writing this keeps me from going insane with hardly anyone to talk to. And now I have to hope that the people he's meeting with really are potential allies and not spies. I hate waiting.

* * *

_Notes by Aral Vorkosigan from a meeting with several reasonably high-ranking lords and officials:_

Vortala – On our side, already mostly convinced it's what Ezar would have wanted

Vorpatril – Wavering

Vorsmythe – On our side, if we can convince him it'll help modernization/industrialization

Vorhalas – On our side.

Vordrozda – Half-dead. His son will do anything that gets him ahead.

Coffee – Terrible.

Vordarian – Close "friends" with the Empress, so he's no friend to Serg. Not to be trusted, but may be useful.

* * *

_Excerpt from_ The History of Barrayar:

The first year after Serg Vorbarra's ascension to the throne of Barrayar saw the first stirrings of civil war. The former Admiral Aral Vorkosigan, who was still an outlaw at this point, is believed to have first made contact with the people he would later lead against Serg's reign. Likewise, the first Counts who rebelled began to come out more strongly against Serg's policies.

It is difficult to pinpoint exactly why the opposition to Serg became so strong so quickly. Certainly much of the military was less than pleased with his conduct during the invasion of Escobar and generally credited Vorkosigan with keeping the failed invasion from becoming a slaughter; by the time he freed his wife from prison and escaped with her into the Dendarii Mountains, many of them were ready to follow him instead. The rumors of insanity and perversion about Serg horrified the upper class, who were in a position to hear them, and his more conservative policies, particularly after his father, displeased the common folk.

However, it was not until later that war truly broke out.


	2. Chapter 2

_Excerpt from an interview with Dendarii hillman Mik Tver held after the war as part of Professor Natasha Vorwynv's oral history project: _

INTERVIEWER: You were one of the first people to join Aral Vorkosigan's rebellion. Would you like to speak about that?

TVER: Where do you want me to start?

INTERVIEWER: Whenever you feel comfortable is fine.

TVER: Well, it really started after Lord and Lady Vorkosigan escaped. The Emperor's men were poking around, questioning everyone, me included. Fastpenta—it felt like being drunk. The whole area figured they'd—the Vorkosigans, that is—had been around. I'd seen them. The Emperor's men grabbed a bunch of our families to and said that they'd kill them if we didn't cooperate. My—they killed my boy, doing that. He tried to stop them from getting his little sister. He was only ten. They released the rest of my family later, but he was still gone. (Pauses, clears throat)

INTERVIEWER: I'm so sorry.

TVER: Yeah. That was the real reason I joined. Uh… What else do you want to know?

INTERVIEWER: Could you speak about what you did?

TVER: Little stuff, at first. This was before any of the counts had openly joined; it was just a few secretly sending supplies and shit—sorry. Disrupted messages, attacks on some small areas. Killed as few as possible, tried to just go after the Emperor's supporters. 'Course it was still pretty damn hard to tell who was who back then.

* * *

_A note from Cordelia Vorkosigan to Aral Vorkosigan:_

Aral,

I love you dearly, but please stop trying to keep me in the dark about your guerilla-style war. I know that your Barrayaran programming involves an urge to protect women, but please remember how we met.

Cordelia

* * *

_Recorded on the memory chip of Simon Illyan as he stood outside the door of the Emperor's rooms:_

GREGOR: Droushie, won't you teach me how to fight like you?

DROUSHNAKOVI: When you're older, love. For now, just practice those drills like I showed you.

GREGOR: Father would like me better if I could fight.

DROU.: I'm, ah, sure he's proud of you either way.

GREGOR: If he's proud of me, why's he angry so much?

DROU.: He's—he… Just try to stay away from him when he's angry, all right, love? Stay with your mother.

GREGOR: But what about when he's angry at her? He was yelling at her last night, and I heard something crash, and when Mama came to kiss me goodnight her dress was ripped.

(At this point, Captain Negri walked up to Illyan.)

NEGRI: Thank you for waiting, Illyan. Walk with me to the Emperor's office.

ILLYAN: It was not trouble at all, sir. There's nothing like listening to Droushnakovi trying not to tell a six-year-old boy that his father's a madman.

NEGRI: Quiet. There are some things that should not be said in this building. There are some things that shouldn't be said on this _planet_.

ILLYAN: Sorry, sir. But you cannot pretend that this is what Ezar would have wanted! Even aside from the damage Serg will do, what sort of emperor will Gregor make when he grows up? A boy who's alternately—and randomly—spoiled and abused by his father? Assuming he even survives that long.

NEGRI: Do you think you'll live long enough to know?

ILLYAN: I realize that it's becoming increasingly unlikely with every word I say, sir.

NEGRI: You'll learn, boy.

ILLYAN: Assuming I live long enough, sir.

NEGRI: True. I'll tell you this: just because this isn't what Ezar wanted doesn't mean he didn't plan for it.

* * *

_A note from Empress Kareen Vorbarra to Lady Alys Vorpatril:_

Dear Lady Alys,

Thank you for bringing Ivan to Gregor's birthday celebration. I know Gregor enjoyed seeing his cousin, and I enjoyed seeing you again. Your support is always most welcome. Thank you also for your discretion regarding any improper behavior on the part of my husband. About our conversation: if I hear any news of your husband's old friend, I will tell you.

Sincerely,

Kareen

* * *

_A note from Lord Aral Vorkosigan to Count Vorsmythe:_

Count Vorsmythe:

The supplies you sent have been received. The most valuable thing you can give us, however, is information. I remember how Serg's military was positioned, its strengths and weaknesses, but if Serg has any sense he'll have changed that, and just because he's insane doesn't mean that he's stupid. Or that one of his subordinates isn't. We're hoping to surprise him with some more Betan tactics.

Destroy this note now.

A.V.K.

* * *

_A note by Aral Vorkosigan to his immediate subordinates:_

Goals:

-keep as many Imperial soldiers as possible getting lost in the caves looking for us

-keep from killing as many soldiers as possible while still remaining effective. Striking their supplies would help us, and make Serg use up more resources

-train and organize guerilla forces. Most of the "soldiers" are farmers with no idea how to fight. Get actual former soldiers to teach them. We'll see how many of them have listened to their grandfathers' Cetagandan war stories.

-Cordelia Vorkosigan is in charge of recruiting women. Military is whatever wins the war, as she would say.

* * *

_A journal entry by Emperor Serg Vobarra:_

Negri is a traitor. He has ImpSec plotting against me. I can feel their eyes on me everywhere, watching me, stalking me, waiting for one moment of weakness to bring me down. Them and that bitch Kareen. They're all watching me, and I can't make it stop, and the more of them I kill the more of them there are. I know she's turning my own son against me, filling his head with lies. He'll believe her too, though I couldn't be kinder to him.

I must hide this journal so they won't know that I suspect their treason. I cannot afford any weakness if I'm to undo the damage my father did. At least Grishnov is Prime Minister now, and he's loyal.

If I move against the obvious traitors first, Negri won't know I suspect him. Piotr Vorkosigan thinks he's safe, that he's too politically powerful to hurt. Not anymore. He spawned the worst traitor of all, and he'll pay for it.

* * *

_A journal entry by Lady Alys Vorpatril:_

Kareen hasn't been able to discover anything about the Vorkosigans. There's only what everyone knows, and that's not much to go on. Kareen said that she didn't want to seem too interested in them, and I can understand; she has Gregor to worry about. I didn't dare approach Captain Negri about it, but when I saw Commander Illyan I couldn't help but ask him—discreetly, of course. It's not good to be seen worrying about them, and the men always get upset when women get involved in these matters, as if we weren't already. It was hardly proper for me to talk to Commander Illyan, a handsome young man, alone, but these are desperate times. I can't help but wonder about Cordelia, lost somewhere on this planet (or further, I hope—Serg's arm is long.) and Piotr Miles, who must be almost Ivan's age. Padma's very worried about Aral.

Simon, I mean, Commander Illyan said that he couldn't tell me anything. I pressed him—carefully, of course—and he said that ImpSec knew they were alive. That's something at least.

On a lighter subject, I was able to find several suitably educational toys for Ivan…

* * *

_Imperial Order signed by Emperor Serg Vorbarra eighteen months after his ascension:_

By the order of His Imperial Majesty Serg Vorbarra, Piotr Vorkosigan is to be arrested for treason, and sentenced to death by public exposure and starvation in the Great Square of Vorbarr Sultana.


	3. Chapter 3

_A letter from Count Vorsmythe to Lord Aral Vorkosigan:_

Lord Vorkosigan:

I write with urgent news. Your father has been arrested for treason and sentenced by the Emperor to starve in the Great Square. Several of the counts, myself included of course, argued—and some even voted—against his execution, but the Emperor is too powerful.

I have spoken to Vorhalas about our cause, and I think he may be willing to help us. His sons in particular have been outspoken against Serg, though that's probably as much youthful idiocy as anything more useful.

Count Vorsmythe

* * *

_A journal entry by Cordelia Vorkosigan:_

I have rarely seen Aral more stricken and furious then he was by Count Vorsmythe's letter. He managed to keep himself together in front of everyone, but as soon as they left it all came out. I can understand why—it's barbaric, sentencing an old man to a terrible death. We all knew that his father might suffer from our actions, but we thought—or hoped—that he had too many supporters in the Council of Counts for it to ever come this far. Politics here are insane. Aral uwanted/u to rush out and lead a rescue mission immediately, but we both knew better. Planning is essential. There is some method to the madness—Aral hopes that the Counts will be worried by Piotr's arrest. If we then showcase Serg's weakness by rescuing Piotr, then we could win more allies.

I hate thinking like this.

From when we first started planning I knew that I would have to go along on the rescue. Security is tight enough that no one who could possibly be a threat will be allowed near Piotr, and the Barrayaran security forces, bless their misogynistic little hearts, would never consider a mere woman a threat. Aral argued, but in the end we knew it was the only way. I'm terrified, not of dying specifically—that I've faced before—but of leaving Miles without a mother when he's not even two. But what must be done must be done.

* * *

_A note by Lord Aral Vorkosigan to his immediate subordinates:_

The Plan:

Cordelia will lead a group of the hillmen into Vorbarr Sultana. She's the only person with the necessary military experience who won't also look suspicious when they get close to Father. The hillmen won't look or move like fighters, so they won't seem like a threat. Cordelia will dye her hair black. Ivar, a man from Hassadar, has experience picking locks. He'll bring his tools along, so he can open the cage. They'll approach the cage at night, carrying the smallest weapons we can find, and stun the guards. Ivar will break open the cage and get Father out. They'll disguise him as a hillman and get out of there as fast as they can.

* * *

_Excerpt from an interview with Dendarii hillman Mik Tver held after the war as part of Professor Natasha Vorwynv's oral history project: _

TVER: I was the second person to volunteer when they asked for people to rescue the old Count. Old Ivar was the first. We needed him the most, 'course—couldn't open the cage without him. We were all wondering how Lady Vorkosigan would do; it's not something you see every day—a city lady soldiering.

INTERVIEWER: Were you all volunteers?

TVER: Yeah. Lord Vorkosigan told us the plan, that he needed hillfolk and that we might not be coming back, so he wanted all volunteers. We volunteered, and they told us the plan. We were all to protect Ivar when it came to fighting and the lady too—they didn't say that part, but we did it, for all that she was the only real soldier.

INTERVIEWER: Was anyone reluctant to follow a woman?

TVER: A few, but mostly the ones who were didn't volunteer. Anyway, we all got our weapons together—hidden, of course. We took some ponies, loaded them up like we were bringing stuff to sell. Once we got down where the roads were flat enough we loaded it onto an old groundtruck and started off to the city. The lady was disguised, her hair all black and her face mostly covered with a scarf. Didn't think anyone would recognize her.

INTERVIEWER: Someone did?

TVER: Yeah. Not until we got into Vorbarr Sultana. We were going along just fine when Lord Padma Vorpatril saw us. He gasped out, "Cordelia?" She hushed him up pretty quick, but he wanted to know what we were doing. She told him, and he said he wanted to help. She told him it'd be too suspicious, a rich lord going along with a bunch of hillfolk, but he insisted. Finally she said he could meet them in the Great Square that night. So we went to the market, kept real quiet and casual, and snuck out to the Great Square at night. Anyone asked, we were paying out respects to the old Count. If they asked why we were doing it at night, we didn't have an answer. I guess we could've said we were too busy during the day or something. No one asked. We were to stun, kill and hurt as few as possible.

INTERVIEWER: Was that an order from Aral Vorkosigan?

TVER: Yeah. When we got close to the cage, there weren't that many guards. We got in a bit of a fight, and three of us were killed. One was Lord Padma. A pity, but he wanted to help. The other was more of a problem: old Ivar. He got shot in the shoulder, broke his collarbone. The next shot killed him. So then we were stuck there, the rest of the plan working just fine, but without anyone who knew how to open the cage. Then it got worse—Captain Negri got there.

* * *

_Excerpt from a journal entry by Cordelia Vorkosigan:_

There are any number of crude ways to describe how surprised I was to see Captain Negri. Aral and I knew the plan was chancy at best, with variables we couldn't control, but the possibility of the head of ImpSec himself showing up was one that we hadn't considered. Of course the plan was already gone to hell at that point, what with the only person who knew how to pick a lock being killed, but we were still clinging to last shreds of our plan. At first I considered just shooting him, but he was ready for that. So then I started remembering everything that Aral had told me about him, how he was so loyal to Ezar. Nobody that desperately loyal to Ezar could possibly like what Serg was doing to the Empire.

It took him a moment to recognize me. Then he gave us this sort of twisted smile and said, "Imagine meeting you here, Lady Vorkosigan."

I asked him the most pressing question on my mind, which was, "Are you going to arrest us?"

"I haven't decided," he said. "I should."

"Why? Because your half-mad emperor would want you to?"

"It would be treason for me to let you go."

"But it wouldn't be disloyalty. Ezar trusted Aral."

Negri let out an odd, harsh laugh at that. "He did, as much as he trusted anyone."

"Which side do you think he would support?" I hoped that the answer was Aral's side. "You know what he would have wanted, what the right thing to do is, even if it isn't what Serg wants. Or the easy way out."

He sighed. "Don't worry, my lady. I'm not on Serg's side, and I'm not going to arrest you. In fact, I'll go even further." Then he pulled a key out of his pocket (though it was too dark to see what it was at first) and unlocked the door of Piotr's cage.

Piotr was unconscious and, from what we could see, in terrible condition, but we put him in the back of the groundtruck and headed back. The trip back was fairly uneventful. I spent most of it trying to think of ways to tell Aral that his cousin had been killed in the rescue.

* * *

_Excerpt from a fastpenta interrogation of a guard who was stationed at the Great Square of Vorbarr Sultana:_

INTERROGATOR: What did you see last night at the Great Square?

GUARD: Some men and a woman, looked like hillfolk, came up to the Count's cage. We didn't expect anything from them, but they attacked. I was shot in the hip, couldn't move.

INTERROGATOR: Do you know if Padma Vorpatril was fighting with them?

GUARD: No, I couldn't see. It was too dark to tell.

INTERROGATOR: What about Captain Negri?

GUARD: He spoke to us just before everything happened. I didn't know he was still there. I was knocked out too soon to see much, but he was talking to the woman. It didn't look like he was trying to stop them.

* * *

_Recorded on the memory chip of Simon Illyan as he stood in a meeting between Captain Negri and Emperor Serg Vorbarra:_

SERG: How the hell did a bunch of hillfolk escape with Piotr Vorkosigan?

NEGRI: Sire, we have evidence that the whole venture was planned by Aral Vorkosigan himself.

SERG: And do you have anything to tell me that isn't obvious? Such as how Padma Vorpatril got mixed up in this?

NEGRI: We have no solid evidence that he was fighting for either side, Sire. It's possible that he was just caught in the crossfire.

ILLYAN: In any case, Sire, it would be wise to leave his widow alone. Going after her could create more sympathy—

SERG: When I want advice, I'll ask for it. Right now I want explanations!

NEGRI: In all probability, Sire—

SERG: Here's what I really want an explanation for: how were they able to succeed, without being caught, when you were there i_personally_/i.

NEGRI: Sire?

SERG: You thought I didn't know about that, didn't you? Didn't know about you going behind my back, ready to betray me when I least expected it.

NEGRI: Sire—

SERG: Shut up! I'm going to have you killed for this, do you understand? You are nothing now. Illyan, take over as Chief of my Security forces.

ILLYAN: Sire, I—

SERG: Don't argue; just do it, damn it!

* * *

_Imperial Order signed by Emperor Serg Vorbarra eighteen months after his ascension_:

By the order of His Imperial Majesty Serg Vorbarra, Captain Negri is to be arrested for treason and sentenced to death.


	4. Chapter 4

_A journal entry by Lady Alys Vorpatril:_

I must be strong. A Vor lady does not give in to despair, no matter how strong the temptation may be. I must be an example for others.

Ivan has no idea what's happening. I think he still expects Padma to come home. He's not much more than a year old—he may not even remember this in a few years. I'm not sure whether that's good or bad.

I'm still in shock, I think. This is the sort of thing I never expected to happen to me, for all that we're Vor, and Padma's duty was to fight. And I know he did fight for Count Piotr, even if the Emperor doesn't know it—he'd take it out on Ivan and I if he did. I know Padma was a brave and loyal man, and that helps a little.

* * *

_Recorded on the chip of Captain Simon Illyan in a private meeting with Emperor Serg Vorbarra:_

ILLYAN: Sire. You wished to see me…

SERG: There are listening devices and cameras in my rooms, aren't there?

ILLYAN: Yes, for your protection, Sire.

SERG: Remove them.

ILLYAN: Sire, the security risk that would present is far too high. With the increase in assassination attempts after Count Vorkosigan's arrest—

SERG: When I had your predecessor killed. As you may remember.

ILLYAN: Yes, Sire. But there is too great a risk. Even Prime Minister Grishnov would agree.

SERG: You like watching me, eh?

ILLYAN: Sire?

SERG: Remove them! I don't want ImpSec nosing around in my business. And double the ones that you have in my wife's room. And the boy's. I want to know what that bitch is up to.

ILLYAN: Sire, we have no evidence that the Empress is "up to" _anything_.

SERG: That's what the bugs and cameras are for. Catch her with Vordarian. Put more bugs in his house too.

ILLYAN: Yes, Sire.

* * *

_A letter from Count Vorsmythe to Lord Aral Vorkosigan:_

Lord Vorkosigan,

Many of the Counts are becoming ready to follow your lead. Your father's arrest has shown them that even those not actively resisting the Emperor will still be killed by him. Your rescue of Count Piotr shows Serg's weakness. I have been meeting covertly with other Counts to get us their support and had several of them send representatives to meet with you. I hope you are successful in earning their support. Some of them seem to be practically on our side already.

Count Vorsmythe

* * *

_A journal entry by Cordelia Vorkosigan:_

Honestly, I have no idea how one small boy can manage to get into so much trouble. It must be a natural talent—a genetic one, no doubt. And when Aral is meeting with the representatives from various potentially sympathetic Counts is not the time for a little kid to go streaking—well, toddling—naked through the halls, yelling that he's going after Baba Yaga. If this is what he's like as a toddler, I hate to think what sort of teenager he'll become.

Never mind. I'll be glad, as long as we all live that long. Now I'm getting morbid. I'll write about something else.

My attempts to integrate women into the forces haven't been met with much acceptance. Most of the women are happy, or at least willing, to learn to fight alongside the men—I've been phrasing it as a sort of way for them to learn to defend their "honor"-- i.e. virginity or having only had sex with one man, but nobody actually comes out and says it--so as to make it more palatable to Barrayaran tastes. That helps some, but I think the men still feel that their masculinity is being impinged upon or some ridiculous idea like that. But they'll learn; I'm just afraid it won't be fast enough.

* * *

_A note written by Aral Vorkosigan in a meeting with the representatives from Counts Vorsmythe, Vorhalas, and Vortala:_

Going well. They're being typical Vor lords, as Cordelia points out—injustices against the proles mean nothing, but arrest one of them and it's "cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war." (Though I should unot/u invoke that.) I shouldn't complain, as long as we can get something done. I just wonder whether anything will really change when--if we get rid of Serg.

In any case, Vorsmythe has obviously worked to convince the Counts already. Vorhalas is on our side, and Vortala is mostly there. From what they've said, a good fraction of the Counts are ready to follow.

* * *

_Excerpt from an interview with Dendarii hillman Mik Tver held after the war as part of Professor Natasha Vorwynv's oral history project: _

INTERVIEWER: How did the situation change after more of the Counts began to support you?

TVER: We started getting better supplies—weapons and the like. But the biggest change wasn't, you know, _directly_ from the Counts. It was that once more Counts helped us, more people started joining us. The Vor may look down on us, but there're more of us than them—that's what became real important later on, o' course. The Counts couldn't send us soldiers; they're not Vorlopoulis . The people had to join on their own. But the Counts could make it known—quietly—that they supported us, and that anyone who joined wouldn't need to worry about how their families would survive with their husbands and sons away. Some brought their families along, though, and they all helped out as best they could.

INTERVIEWER: What did they do?

TVER: Oh, you know, all the stuff that a big group of people living in one place need to have done. Some of the women and older girls even learned to fight. Cordelia Kosigan—course, she was still Lady Vorkosigan back then—taught them. She was very firm about the women getting the same chances as the men. I wasn't sure at first, but they had me convinced after a fight with one of them left me flat on my back with a knife to my throat. (_laughs_)

INTERVIEWER: Any other changes?

TVER: Well, I almost forgot the most obvious. After we had enough men—and women—we retook the Vorkosigan's residence: beautiful place, by a nice lake. Some of us stayed in the house or the barracks, some of us, mostly families, in nearby houses. We had a constant guard on watch, just like back at the camp. Sometimes it was hard to remember that, despite the stone walls, we weren't safer then in the secret camp; if anything, we were less safe. But it was a nice change. Like I said, at our level, if not the Vorkosigan's, it wasn't the Counts that made the difference. It was ordinary people getting sick of all the shitty stuff the Emperor did.

* * *

_A letter from Paul Toscane to Count Vorsmythe:_

Count Vorsmythe:

I understand your arguments for Komarr supporting your rebellion, and for the most part I agree. However, I have discussed the matter with my colleagues, and we have decided that we will not support anything lead by the man who masterminded the murder of innocent Komarrans. If your rebellion should change leadership, we might consider helping it. Until then, our answer is no.

Sincerely,

Paul Toscane


	5. Chapter 5

_Journal entry by Cordelia Vorkosigan:_

I can hardly believe that it's been three years since I was arrested and we escaped into the mountains, and a year and a half since we moved to Vorkosigan Surleau. It just shows how easy it is to get into routines and mindlessly follow them. Or not mindlessly, I should say, since it takes plenty of thought, but we've become used to planning the next attack, then recovering from our losses, especially if we lost, and using whatever we got out of it when we plan the next attack, if we won. The only thing that's really changed is the scale—we've gone from small, fast guerilla strikes to actual battles. We have the sympathetic Counts to thank for that, them and their people.

I've finally succeeded in convincing the men in charge that women can have some role in combat other than staying behind and killing themselves if it seems like the men are going to lose. We'll still only be part of the defense of the camp, rather than in the offense, but we'll still see combat if it comes to that. And it may—Aral has heard tell from our spies inside the Imperial Residence that they're planning a sort of final attack to wipe all of us out. Aral thinks that it's fairly probable that they could succeed, if they use their resources well. That's one advantage they still have over us.

I have to be more careful where I put this. Miles has taken to picking up and trying to read anything that he comes across. I don't think he could successfully read this, but I'd rather not risk it. He has enough to fear already.

* * *

_Excerpt from an interview with Dendarii hillman Mik Tver held after the war as part of Professor Natasha Vorwynv's oral history project: _

INTERVIEWER: What was it like once the war really got started?

TVER: Well, for one thing, we all saw more action, There were fewer quick raids and more real battles. But plenty stayed the same—we'd hear about how Count Vor-so-and-so was supporting us, but we still didn't see much in the way of better supplies of anything.

INTERVIEWER: Would you say the Counts get more credit than they deserve? Sorry, forget that. It was a leading question.

TVER: No, I won't; and yes, they did. Get too much credit, that is. Not that that's surprising; it's always the leaders who get the most credit, and here most of the big leaders are Vor, speaking of leading.

INTERVIEWER: You did your share of leading.

TVER: Yeah, but that was further on. (_laughs_) Don't spoil my story. So… changes. Well, once the men started going farther out, and we started getting into real battles, we needed more people to support us and to stay behind and guard the Vorkosigans' place where we were all camped out. Cordelia Vorkosigan had been pushing for women to be trained alongside the men, so it was only natural that they fill in where the men had to leave off. Of course, some people weren't real happy about that, but even they had to agree it was necessary.

INTERVIEWER: Any other changes?

TVER: It was around then that it really hit home that we were fighting a civil war. I mean, you'd talk to people who had come to fight for us, and they'd have friends, relatives who were fighting for Serg. I was almost lucky, in an awful way—the choice for me to fight against the Emperor and for Aral Vorkosigan was always clear. Even if the bastards hadn't killed my boy, my family's been loyal to the Vorkosigans for centuries.

* * *

_A note from Count Vorsmythe to Lord Aral Vorkosigan:_

Lord Vorkosigan:

I always appreciate frankness, and I've heard you do too, so let me be frank—I cannot continue to support you as I have before. My resources are running out. Honestly, I had thought that I would start to see some benefits of your actions by now. Instead it's gotten even more difficult for my factories to operate. I hope that the other Counts' support will make up for my inability to support you as much.

Count Vorsmythe

* * *

_Recorded on the chip of Simon Illyan in a meeting between him and Emperor Serg:_

SERG: So this is what comes of taking your advice? Civil war?

ILLYAN: With all due respect, Sire, Captain Negri warned you that—

SERG: Captain Negri was a traitor. Are you defending him?

ILLYAN: Sire, let me simply point out that we told you that your policies, especially arresting Count Vorkosigan could lead to civil war.

SERG: But I did what I had to do anyway.

ILLYAN: Our spies report, Sire, that as a result of that the Vorkosigans have gained much support among the people. Even if you manage to kill Aral Vorkosigan, it would probably just make a martyr out of him.

SERG: So you're saying I should just let him run around, doing as he likes? Prime Minister Grishnov thinks differently, _Captain_ Illyan.

ILLYAN: I'm saying that you should avoid policies that will provoke more people into open war. As it is, nearly a third of the Counts are openly against you.

SERG: You take care of security; Grishnov will advise me in determining _my_, not your, policies.

ILLYAN: Sire?

SERG: I don't need you.

* * *

_Excerpt from a diary entry by Alys Vorpatril:_

I went to see Kareen and her son again today. She won't say much, especially not in front of people, but I know the Emperor has been cruel to her. Even a high collar couldn't hide the edge of a bruise. I wonder why husbands like Serg live while my poor Padma was killed. I'm being terribly unrealistic, of course. The world is how the world is. Serg lives because none of the assassination attempts have succeeded. And wishing for the Emperor to die is not the sort of thing that should be written, not even in a private journal. Not that I think ImpSec is reading this journal; I would doubtless have been arrested for some of the beliefs that I've expressed in here.

It would be Serg, of course, not ImpSec. In the two years he's run ImpSec since Negri was executed, Captain Illyan has shown that he understands how things should be done far better than the Emperor does.

* * *

_A note from Count Vorhalas to Aral Vorkosigan:_

Aral—

I heard the news about Vorsmythe—it's a pity—so I wanted to reiterate my support for you. While I have neither the means nor the desire to start my own army to help you, and I don't have much in the way of supplies, I am trying to convince all the Counts and Ministers who I am reasonably familiar with to join your side. If you'll forgive my boasting, this includes some very influential men. Unfortunately, I have not been particularly successful. It seems that those of us with the mettle to oppose the Emperor have already joined with you. What's left is those who believe in Serg's policies—or, more likely, believe they can profit from Serg's continued reign.

Vorhalas

* * *

_A note from Nikola Kuenech to Count Vordarian_:

Count Vordarian:

I have successfully infiltrated Vorkosigan's army. As far as I know, no one suspects that I'm spying for you. I have learned that they know of the Emperor's plan to wipe them out, and they plan to pre-empt him by taking Hassadar. More importantly, Aral Vorkosigan plans to go with them personally when they take Hassadar.

Please have my payment ready in cash.

Your Agent

* * *

_Excerpt from _The History of Barrayar:

An Introduction to the Civil War:

Barrayar's civil war raged for two and a half years. While not as bloody as the war against Mad Emperor Yuri, the war still had an extremely high number of casualties on both sides. The two sides appear to have been equally matched; while Emperor Serg had far more resources and troops than the rebels, none of the Emperor's men could match Aral Vorkosigan's leadership. There is no doubt that he was one of Barrayar's monst brilliant strategists, both militarily and politically. Despite—or perhaps because of—Serg's tight control of the Counts, Vorkosigan was able to get support from nearly a third of the Counts.

Most of the worst battles took place in the Vorkosigan District and neighboring Districts. The Vorhalas District in particular was devastated by the war; however the greatest number of casualties was from Vorkosigan District people, both military personnel and civilians. The infamous Silvy Vale Massacre was one of the worst killings of civilians perpetrated by Serg's men.

The space-based military forces' loyalties were divided to the point that they were essentially neutralized as a significant force. It was not until the Battle of Hassadar, the final battle of the war (where for the first time both Aral Vorkosigan and Prime Minister Grishnov personally fought) that they recovered enough to have an effect on the planet-based fighting; indeed, some historians believe that they were the deciding factor.


End file.
